ANSA news

Poland's lawmakers vote for more work on law on court

Wed, 19/07/2017 - 10:38

(ANSA) - WARSAW - Poland's lawmakers voted overwhelmingly on
Wednesday to send a contentious draft law reorganizing the work
of the nation's top court for more work by a special
parliamentary commission, as European Union leaders expressed
concern about rule of law in Poland.
With the vote, the parliament, which is dominated by the
populist ruling party, cut short a very heated debate
surrounding the draft law on the Supreme Court.
Lawmakers voted 434-6 with one abstention for the commission for
justice and human rights to review and issue its opinion on the
draft law, which gives politicians, not lawyers, the power over
appointments to the Supreme Court and reorganizes its structure.
It was not clear when the opinion would be known.
In a heated debate Tuesday, the opposition proposed more than
1,000 amendments to the draft, which, it says, kills judicial
independence. The bill calls for the immediate dismissal of the
current Supreme Court judges, except those chosen by the justice
minister. The ruling Law and Justice party proposed to change
the provision and give the president, not the justice minister,
the power to appoint the key court's judges.
A street protest accompanied the debate.
The European Commission is to discuss developments in Poland but
will take no action before the final shape of the law is known.
The ruling party insists that the judiciary needs radical reform
to be efficient.
(ANSA).

In brief

Founded in 1989, the CEI is a regional intergovernmental forum committed to supporting European integration through cooperation among its Member States.
It combines multilateral diplomacy and project management, both as donor and recipient, while bridging European macro-regions.